Source – Fierce Pharma
On June 21, 2023, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will vote on recommendations for the use of new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines from GSK and Pfizer.
Both Arexvy from GSK and Abrysvo from Pfizer received authorization this month, making them the first vaccines ever for the disorder, which normally causes symptoms similar to a cold but can escalate to a severe illness and be deadly. The immunisations were specifically approved to prevent RSV-related lower respiratory tract illness in individuals 60 and older.
Both businesses shared information on Wednesday morning about the performance and security of their respective vaccines throughout the second RSV season following administration.
The CDC also presented a cost-effectiveness model for the two injections, and it showed that, even at a price of $270 per dosage as opposed to $200 for the Pfizer shot, the GSK vaccination offered much greater value.
In response to an appeal by committee member Helen Keipp Talbot, M.D., of Vanderbilt University, both businesses stated on Wednesday that they had not set a final pricing for their injections.
“We are voting today at around 4:30. If you could please come up with a price before that it would be incredibly helpful,” Talbot said. “None of us buy a car unless we know how much it costs.”
Who should receive the new vaccinations and how frequently will be advised by the ACIP specialists. Both businesses have said that their vaccines would be available for distribution this autumn.
With a median follow-up period of 14 months following delivery, the GSK vaccine’s efficacy in avoiding RSV in year one was 82.6% and its efficacy in preventing severe illness was 94.1%. However, in the second RSV season, those efficacy rates fell to 77.3% and 84.6%, respectively.
Another subgroup of the research revealed that individuals who received a second injection a year following the first administration did not have an improvement in second season effectiveness. This indicates that “revaccination after 12 months does not appear to confer additional benefit,” according to the company’s report.
